Fitness Expert’s Tip of the Month – June

Recently there has been quite a bit of talk about metabolic training and the effectiveness it has on your body. While metabolic conditioning may be an effective form of training your body, it may push the envelope on effectiveness and safety, if not done correctly.

Metabolic conditioning includes consistent movement with, or without resistance. The intensity varies according to the individuals ﬁtness level. What might be metabolic for one, may be recovery for the other. Itʼs important that a progression is used in each instance, and that a knowledgeable ﬁtness professional is guiding you along the way. You can do a tone body fitness online coaching program to make it a little easier. The goal is to perform as many good quality repetitions as possible, without incorporating momentum, or using weight that is too heavy for you to control.

The concept of metabolic conditioning has been around for many years, but the newest trends have people confused about what exercises should be performed, how challenging the movements should be in order to be effective, and what “props” should be utilized.

First, recognize that with any program you should be under the guidance of a knowledgeable ﬁtness professional. They should know what your personal goals are, as well as your strengths, current weaknesses, and injuries. There is no one size ﬁts all program that should be applied for everyone. Each persons ﬁtness level is unique, and your body is different every day, so varying the intensity of the exercise, and the weight or resistance of your props is required. Also recognize that this isnʼt about how many poorly performed movements you can do, just to complete your workout. This is about maximizing your potential, with the highest quality exercise you can do for each rep. In other words just like in Yoga, or Pilates, there must be a mind/body connection to reach your true potential, and ultimate goal. There is no need for bizarre props or enormous weights, to get a great workout within a short period of time, but your routines will be much more challenging than walking on a treadmill at 4.5, adding in some light lunges, or biceps curl with minimal weight.

To give you an idea of how to plan your metabolic workout take the following components into consideration, cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, ﬂexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. Each of these components should be addressed throughout your program. When creating your program ﬁrst you need to recognize your overall workout goals and remember that each set should contain functional movements for your upper and lower body, core, and cardiovascular function.

Try the following moves in your routine: Squat with a biceps curl to overhead press. The squat incorporates your legs, back, and core. It increases your heart rate, and challenges your entire body. Upon standing perform a biceps curl, and then transition to an overhead press. Make sure each movement is performed with precision, and use a weight that is challenging, but doable.

Reverse Lunge with rotation. As you lunge back, youʼre challenging your balance, using your core to stabilize your body, increasing your heart rate with every movement, and of course working your legs. Add a twist of your torso, and this rotation works your obliques.